Wildcats Clean Up NBL Award Night

Three Perth Wildcats collect major honours.

The Perth Wildcats capped off a fantastic regular season by dominating the league’s yearly awards ceremony.

Combo guard Kevin Lisch took home the league’s most valuable player award, the Andrew Gaze Trophy, after leading the club with 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and nearly three assists and a steal per in 28 games.

Lisch became only the second Wildcat in club history to claim the award (Paul Rogers in 2000) and was vital in the Cats making their record 26th consecutive postseason appearance, finishing second in the standings.

"It's amazing, I can't even describe it. I really had no visions of this happening. I didn’t think of it even leading up to the awards night really, “said the American-born, long tenured cat.

"It was pretty much all about being focused on getting better and trying to win a championship. This is just a great honour. To look at the guys who have won it before is just pretty amazing."

The accolades didn’t end with Lisch. Ball hawk Damian Martin won his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award, edging out New Zealand’s Mika Vukona by 15 votes.

Martin sat for an extensive time at the beginning of the season due to a freak toe injury but still averaged 2.2 steals, nearly four rebounds and just under a block a game. Special stuff from the pint-sized pocket rocket.

Jessie Wagstaff also got amongst the action, winning the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award in a season in which he averaged a career-high 11.6 points per contest.

Lisch was named to the league’s All-NBL First Team while Wagstaff and Martin made the Third Team.